Holy Angels and Edina win, gain Gold title game

Tommy Burke was a roadblock for the Stars, and Marshall Everson and Anders Lee ignited the Hornets

By DAVID La VAQUE, Star Tribune

Last update: December 31, 2008 - 7:25 AM

Tommy Burke thought he made the save. His Holy Angels teammates left the bench, certain the game was over.

Not quite.

Holy Angels and White Bear Lake maintained their 4-4 tie through eight minutes of overtime and into a shootout in the Schwan Cup Gold Division semifinal at the Xcel Energy Center.

Brent Putney's shot trickled between Burke's leg pads, forcing a fourth shootout round.

John Haeg scored next for Holy Angels, and Burke secured the victory by stopping Chad Lowell.

"When [Haeg] scored, I said to myself, 'No way are they scoring again,' " Burke said.

Haeg's goal and Burke's save put Holy Angels in the Gold Division championship game against Edina at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center.

Holy Angels and White Bear Lake went to a shootout in the 2004 Gold Division semifinals, with White Bear Lake's David Grun breaking a 3-3 deadlock with a backhand shot just under the crossbar. Haeg scored in Tuesday's shootout on a similar shot, one he practices regularly.

White Bear Lake coach Tim Sager, whose Bears have played in the Schwan Cup tournament each year since its inception in 2001, said the experience gained offsets the disappointing loss.

"We didn't get paid for our hard work tonight but we learned about playing well in tight games," he said.

Edina 4, Minnetonka 2

Once again, Edina's top scorers proved too much for the opposition. Marshall Everson scored twice, Anders Lee had a goal and an assist, and the Hornets advanced to their first Gold Division championship game.

Everson scored the game's first goal in the second period by backhanding the puck between his legs and into an empty net. Minnetonka goaltender Jim Kruger was knocked to the ice during a scrum near the net.

Kruger kept his feet as Lee swooped in with the puck later in the period, but Lee made one more move than Kruger could counter and scored.

Minnetonka's Andrew Prochno made the game close by scoring a power-play goal at 16:05 of the second period.

In the third period, things got hectic. The teams combined for three goals in the span of 1 minute, 7 seconds. Ryan Cutshall restored the Hornets two-goal lead with his first goal this season, but Prochno scored again for Minnetonka. Everson's second goal of the game gave Edina its final 4-2 lead.

Before Tuesday's semifinals loss, Minnetonka was 7-0 in its Schwan Cup tournament history. The Skippers won the Bronze Division in 2006 and captured the Gold Division crown last year.

Etc.

• Lee will play hockey at Notre Dame beginning in the 2010-11 season. He will graduate from Edina this spring then will play one season with Green Bay of the USHL.

David La Vaque • 612-673-7574